Transforming Healthcare with AI: Removing Inefficiencies and Supporting Patient-Centred Care
Introduction
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionising the healthcare industry, bringing unprecedented efficiency and precision to various aspects of patient care. From streamlining administrative tasks to enhancing patient interactions and personalising treatment plans, AI's potential in healthcare is vast. To explore the ways in which AI is being leveraged to improve patient care and what the future holds for AI in the healthcare sector, Pharma IQ spoke to Josh Marsh, Vice President and General Manager at Cardinal Health Sonexus Access and Patient Support.
The Role of AI in Healthcare
How is AI transforming the healthcare industry?
Josh Marsh: The most significant impact of AI on the healthcare industry is streamlining and removing administrative tasks so that staff can be deployed to more critical tasks. In patient services, this means using AI to automate data entry and the patient journey workflow so that team members can focus on patient education, insurance reimbursement support, and financial assistance qualification.
What are some of the key areas where AI is making the most significant impact?
Josh Marsh: The key areas we see AI making the most significant impact is in patient support services, research and development, clinical decision support, and predictive analytics.
Balancing AI and Human Interaction
What are the challenges and benefits of integrating AI with human touchpoints in patient care?
Josh Marsh: One challenge is aggregating data from multiple sources to make a strong output for various AI use cases. For example, in patient services, we use multiple data sources to automate patient journey workflows, removing unnecessary manual steps while ensuring human touchpoints when needed.
How can healthcare providers strike the right balance to ensure optimal patient outcomes?
Josh Marsh: The extent of AI integration will vary. Some engagements, like new specialty therapy consultations, will always require direct human interaction.
AI and the Patient Journey
How can AI be used to better understand and enhance the patient journey? What are some examples of AI applications that have successfully improved patient communication and care?
Josh Marsh: AI can generate personalised treatment plans by analysing vast amounts of patient data to identify potential roadblocks. Virtual health assistants or chatbots provide 24/7 access to information, allowing patients to perform actions such as activating co-pay cards or uploading information to expedite their treatment journey.
Ethical Considerations in AI
What are the primary ethical considerations when implementing AI in healthcare? How can organisations address these concerns to maintain trust and transparency with patients?
Josh Marsh: Ethical considerations include patient privacy, data security, and patient consent. Organisations must have robust encryption and cybersecurity measures to protect patient data. Ensuring that patients are informed and provide consent for how their data will be used is crucial.
Personalisation of Patient Care
How does AI enable the personalisation of patient care? Can you share any case studies or examples where AI has tailored treatment plans to individual patient needs effectively?
Josh Marsh: AI/ML models use existing patient data to assess histories, recommend interventions, and construct more engaging programs for specialty patients. For example, we profiled patient data to create segments with different needs, allowing us to focus on helping patients overcome specific barriers.
Future Trends in AI Healthcare
What are some emerging trends in AI that are likely to shape the future of healthcare? Where do you see the most potential for growth and innovation in the next few years?
Josh Marsh: Key trends include AI's role in early disease detection, personalised treatment plans, streamlining supply chain operations, and generative AI virtual assistants supporting doctors and clinical practitioners.
Overcoming Barriers to AI Adoption
What are the common barriers to adopting AI in healthcare, and how can organisations overcome these obstacles to fully leverage AI’s potential?
Josh Marsh: Common barriers include high implementation costs and lack of standardised data. Starting with small AI use cases and piloting can mitigate risks. Ensuring data standardisation and employing skilled data architects and scientists are crucial.
Best Practices for Implementing AI
What best practices should healthcare providers follow when implementing AI solutions to ensure they enhance rather than hinder patient care?
- Interdisciplinary collaboration and clear goals: Engage diverse teams and stakeholders, and set measurable goals for AI.
- Data quality and security: Use high-quality data and implement robust security measures.
- Rigorous validation, continuous monitoring, and evaluation: Test AI solutions in real-world environments and regularly assess performance.
- Robust change management and support: Provide comprehensive training for clinicians and staff.
- Explainability and transparency: Use AI models that provide clear explanations for their outputs.
- Human oversight: Design AI systems to augment human decision-making.
- Regulation compliance: Ensure AI implementations adhere to legal and regulatory requirements.
Using AI to Support Patients
How is Cardinal Health using AI to identify patients who need more human touchpoints, and how does this approach align with these broader themes?
Josh Marsh: At Cardinal Health Sonexus™ Access and Patient Support, we use AI to identify patients who need more human touchpoints. For instance, AI can flag patients who are new to specialty products and may need additional support, ensuring a personalised approach to their treatment journey.
Conclusion
AI is revolutionising the healthcare industry by streamlining administrative tasks, enhancing patient care, and personalising treatment plans. The insights shared by Josh Marsh highlight the transformative potential of AI in healthcare. As AI continues to evolve, healthcare providers must balance technological advancements with human interaction to ensure optimal patient outcomes.
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